1953 in literature
The year 1953 in literature involved some significant events and new books. Events * January 22 - The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway. * February 19 - Censorship: The State of Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States. * After five years as an English Teacher, Frederick Buechner moves to New York to become a full time writer. *''Go Tell It on the Mountain'' by James Baldwin is published. In 2001, the book would be named as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by the editorial board of the American Modern Library. * April 13 - The face of popular literature is transformed with the publication of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. *Ronald Harwood becomes Sir Donald Wolfit's dresser. *John Dickson Carr writing as "Carter Dickson" publishes his final Sir Henry Merrivale mystery novel. *Ian Fleming's James Bond was first brought into the world in Casino Royale. *American novelist Howard Fast is awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. New books *Sholom Aleichem - Adventures of Mottel the Cantor's Son *Isaac Asimov - Second Foundation *James Baldwin - Go Tell It on the Mountain *Saul Bellow - The Adventures of Augie March *Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man *Zealia Bishop - The Curse of Yig *Ray Bradbury **''Fahrenheit 451'' **''The Golden Apples of the Sun'' *Gwendolyn Brooks - Maud Martha *William S. Burroughs - Junkie *John Dickson Carr - The Cavalier's Cup (as by Carter Dickson) *Raymond Chandler - The Long Goodbye *Agatha Christie **''After the Funeral'' **''A Pocket Full of Rye'' *Arthur C. Clarke **''Against the Fall of Night'' **''Childhood's End'' *Beverly Cleary - Otis Spofford *Ivy Compton-Burnett - The Present and the Past *A. J. Cronin - Beyond This Place *L. Sprague de Camp **''The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens'' **''Sprague de Camp's New Anthology of Science Fiction'' **''The Tritonian Ring and Other Pusadian Tales'' *L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt - Tales from Gavagan's Bar *Lloyd C. Douglas - The Robe *Ian Fleming - Casino Royale *Ernest K. Gann - The High and the Mighty *Davis Grubb - The Night of the Hunter *Mark Harris - The Southpaw *L. P. Hartley - The Go-Between *James Hilton - Time and Time Again *David Karp - One *Ira Levin - A Kiss Before Dying *C. S. Lewis - The Silver Chair *James A. Michener - The Bridges at Toko-Ri *Zoe B. Oldenbourg - The Cornerstone *Mervyn Peake - Mr Pye *Ellery Queen - The Scarlet Letters *Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - The Sojourner *Samuel Shellabarger - Lord Vanity *Wilmar H. Shiras - Children of the Atom *Rex Stout - The Golden Spiders *Leon Uris - Battle Cry *Boris Vian - Heartsnatcher *A. E. van Vogt - The Universe Maker *Evelyn Waugh - Love Among the Ruins *Ben Ames Williams - The Unconquered *John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes New drama * Arthur Adamov - Professor Taranne * Samuel Beckett - Waiting for Godot * Agatha Christie - Witness for the Prosecution * Max Frisch - The Fire Raisers * Witold Gombrowicz - The Marriage * Arthur Miller - The Crucible Short stories *Roald Dahl - "Nunc Dimittis" Poetry *''Faber Book of Twentieth Century Verse'' Non-fiction *George Dangerfield - The Era of Good Feelings (Bancroft Prize) *L. Sprague de Camp - Science-Fiction Handbook *G. R. Elton - The Tudor Revolution in Government *Heinrich Harrer - Seven Years in Tibet *Nancy Mitford - Madame de Pompadour *Ludwig Wittgenstein - Philosophical Investigations Births *February 10 - John Shirley, science fiction and horror writer *March 12 - Carl Hiaasen, author *March 25 - John Tierney, New York Times journalist *April 3 - Pieter Aspe, author of the "Inspector Van In" novels *April 20 - Sebastian Faulks, English novelist *May 19 - Victoria Wood, comedienne and writer *July 29 - Frank McGuinness, dramatist and poet *August 10 - Mark Doty, poet *September 23 - Nicholas Witchell, TV journalist *November 5 - Joyce Maynard, memoirist and former lover of J. D. Salinger *''date unknown'' **Pat Cadigan, science fiction author **George Dyson, science historian **Peter Robinson, poet Deaths *April 4 - Rachilde (Marguerite Vallette-Eymery), French author *April 9 - C. E. M. Joad, philosopher *April 24 - Alfred Vierkandt, sociologist *June 5 - Moelona, novelist and translator *June 25 - Richard Jebb, journalist *July 6 - Julia de Burgos, poet *July 16 - Hilaire Belloc, humorous poet, essayist and travel writer *August 30 - Maurice Nicoll, psychologist * November 8 - John van Melle, South African author * November 9 - Dylan Thomas, poet and author * November 27 - Eugene O'Neill, playwright * November 30 - Francis Picabia, painter, poet *''date unknown'' **Idris Davies, poet **Gordon Hall Gerould, philologist **Alice Milligan, poet **T. F. Powys, novelist, brother of John Cowper Powys **Eirik Vandvik, classicist and translator Awards * Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Edward Osmond, A Valley Grows Up * Christopher Award: Marie Killilea, Karen * Governor General's Award for Poetry or Drama: Douglas LePan, The Net and the Sword "Cumulative List of Winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards", Canada Council. Web, Feb. 10, 2011 * James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction: Margaret Kennedy, Troy Chimneys * James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography: Carola Oman, Sir John Moore * National Book Award for Fiction: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man * Newbery Medal for children's literature: Ann Nolan Clark, Secret of the Andes * Nobel Prize for Literature: Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill * Premio Nadal: Luisa Forrellad, Siempre en capilla * Pulitzer Prize for Drama: William Inge, Picnic * Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea * Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Archibald MacLeish, Collected Poems 1917-1952 * Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Arthur Waley References External links * Category:Years in literature Category:History of literature Category:Literature by year